Don't Make Me Angry
by Loony-1995
Summary: While on the hunt for horcruxes, in a rage Ron does something he never thought he'd do, something he thought he wasn't capable of. Hermione feels she is pushed into helping him. Will Ron get away with his actions?
1. It's HIS fault, not mine

Just a little story; what I think should have happened at the end of "The Goblin's Revenge (chapter fifteen), Deathly Hallows".  
Hope you enjoy; a review? :)

* * *

'RON!'

'Bloody hell...sorry 'Mione.'

'Merlin!' Hermione ran a hand through her bushy hair as tears started to fall. She knew Ron had a temper but this! She should have stopped him...why didn't she? They – wait what was she thinking; this was _his _fault, _his _problem, not _hers_, not _theirs – _he was not going to get away with this.

'What were you thinking!' Hermione whispered; she was too angry to yell.

'I don't know...I just couldn't stop,' whispered Ron desperately and looked down at his large feet. It had just happened, he hadn't meant too. 'It's this stupid locket's fault.'

'Ron, the locket doesn't have arms, does it?' She knew getting angry wouldn't help but it would make her feel better; this was one problem she didn't have an answer too.

'But-,'

'No "but" about it Ronald,' she was really angry; she had just used his full name. 'What are we going to do? No, what are _you _going to do?'

''Mione please...I need help with this problem, you've always helped me in the past,' Ron gave her his cheekiest smiles, a smile he knew she couldn't resist, but it never reached his eyes; all they could see was Azkaban. 'And think about it, it'll be much quieter now.' Hermione stopped herself from smiling, she couldn't smile at him, it was wrong now.

'What are you doing now!'

'What do you think 'Mione? I can't just...' Ron shrugged his shoulders having no clue as to what he should do.

Hermione followed Ron outside, she folded her arms tightly; it was a true British winter. The tent's doors blew furiously in the wind and just on time, the sky opened up. But this didn't stop Ron or nor did it stop Hermione from following.

'Accio,' whispered Ron, the rain and thunder made it hard for Hermione to hear what he had called for. She watched Ron as he calmly did what needed to be done. He beckoned her towards him; they stood together and looked out over the view in front of them.

Hermione knew she shouldn't be standing with Ron, but who could she go to? No one.  
No one would understand; no one would listen and if they did, they wouldn't be able to help; there was no aurors to tell and if she did tell, how would that help? Ron wasn't a dark wizard; he was a Weasley, a Gryffindor and best friends with her, a muggle born. What had been done was done.

Ron looked at Hermione and then looked back to the view, she was deep in thought; he could practically see the cogs grinding in her head. She wouldn't tell on him...would she? No she wouldn't, Hermione Granger was many things but a snitch, no. Yes, he wished he could go back and stop himself but part of him was alright with what he had done. It was going to happen one day; Ron was just helping the process along a bit. Anyway, it was _his _fault, not Ron's, _he _knew not to make Ron annoyed, _he _knew about his temper and rage, it was _his _fault.

'What are we going to do now?' Asked Hermione as they walked back to the tent. Ron shrugged before he tried to answer.

'We'll just have to go back, we-,'

'Ron, we cannot do that!'

'Well, Hermione what else do you suggest?' Ron's voice was pleading with her, he didn't want to go back but what other choice was there. They couldn't do it now. Hermione just looked at him with tears in her eyes.

Ron wrapped her into a tight hug.

'Come on, it'll be alright. I promise,' he whispered into her ear and she trusted him, she believed his promise.

They walked back into the tent and Hermione decided they needed a hot drink; she began making three cups of tea, before realising they would only need two now.

'What will we tell them?' Ron knew who she meant by 'them'; his family, their friends...every light wizard in the world. Everyone who had rested their hopes on the trio.

Ron quietly chuckled; Hermione didn't see the joke.

'That's easy,' he smiled. 'Death eaters. They'll quite happily say it was them, no fuss, no questions. We were attacked and we couldn't do anything to stop them.' Ron looked away and then back at Hermione; there were tears in his bright blue eyes. 'I-I tried mum, I-I just couldn't do anything. That should be me. I'm useless, pathetic,' he sobbed, his voice soaked in sadness and guilt; for a moment even Hermione believed him, before she realised he was acting. 'We'll just keep on saying that we don't want to talk about it, people will understand, accept it and move on,' Ron didn't sound so sure on the last part. At the start of this he was worried and then he was fine, now the worry was returning. 'I'm going to have a shower, get clean, maybe you should start packing, but make it look hurried, rushed. We'll have to make it look realistic.' Ron smiled at her and Hermione smiled back.

She wasn't so sure that this was going to work but what else could she do? In her heart she was sad for the loss, but she knew her sadness couldn't interfere with what had to be done. And anyway, he wasn't _that _important...was he?

* * *

'Oh Merlin,' sobbed Molly as Ron and Hermione finished their story; the rest of the Burrow was silent in grief.

Molly and the rest of the Weasley clan were there, even Charlie was present, Lupin, Tonks, all of the Order that was still alive and even Dobby was there. Ron and Hermione had returned dishevelled, dirty, clueless, tired, messy and crying. They had requested the presence of everyone; they said they had news which would affect everyone. And they weren't lying.

'Why haven't they spread the news yet?' Asked Lupin desperately, hoping it wasn't true; they said they hadn't actually seen the act.

'Maybe they want others to keep hoping?' Answered Ron unsurely, Hermione just continue to sob into Ron's chest. Lupin nodded; the room silently agreed.

No one spoke.

Harry Potter was dead.


	2. Clang, clang, clang, thud

I didn't know whether to continue this story or to just leave it as a cliff-hanger. But you, the amazing readers, asked for more! And especially for _Fluffy things r cute_ and _me, _I'll do a nice little flashback of what actually happened... So here is the second chapter to 'Don't Make Me Angry'!

* * *

'What are we going to do?'

Hermione and Ron sat together alone in Ron's room, they both sat on his bed; Harry's bed seemed to be haunting them, it was like it knew what Ron had done and how Hermione was now in on it.

'So it's "we" now?' Smiled Ron as Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed.

'Well, I suppose it is now, I know what happened, and when people find out-,'

'Hermione, who says that people will find out? I don't plan on spreading the news, do you?' Hermione quickly shook her head and carried on talking.

'_If – _happy now?' Ron gave her his lop-sided grin and nodded. 'People find out, I won't be able to deny that I was there and I don't think they'd believe me if I said I didn't know.' She turned to stare out of the window and thought of what her family, friends and teachers would think of her when – in her mind, there was no 'if' about it – they found out about it.

Ron could quite easily guess what she was thinking about; he took her hand and held it in his own.

'They won't know about you 'Mione, you were right when you first said this was _my_ problem, not yours, I won't let them know about you and your part it in, okay? I was the one who...killed him. I promise.' Ron hadn't admitted out loud yet what he had actually done and as he said it, he felt a knot in his stomach untangle itself from the rest. Hermione smiled sadly at him and squeezed his hand; she knew he would do everything in his power to keep his promise, but she knew he could only _try _and keep it; it wasn't that she didn't trust Ron; it was just that she just couldn't see how she could get away with her part in the murder and its cover up. And all she could do was to hope that Karma didn't exist or would come at the pace of a dead tortoise

Her mind flashed back to that night which was only a few nights ago.  
The night that had and would change Hermione's and Ron's life forever. A night that they would never be able to escape from. A night that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

_

* * *

_

It had been a night like any; Ron, Hermione and Harry had been sitting in the tent's living area. Hermione had just cooked them a "dinner", which in Ron's mind was "a disgrace and insult to his taste buds". Ron was wearing the locket and was curled up in an annoyed and fed-up fashion on a very saggy chair; Hermione and Harry didn't blame him; he was used to his mum's and Hogwart's food, both of which made enough amazing food to feed the five thousand. The other two were used to going without decent food for a long period of time (in Harry's case) and food that didn't always taste amazing (in Hermione's case; her dad had never mastered the art of cooking and always insisted he cooked when Hermione came home). Hermione was reading "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" for what must have been the millionth time; she kept thinking that some message or sign would jump out from its words...none had come yet. Harry was trying to throw a small metal object into a metal bin which was a few metres away; he missed every time and every time he missed he would call the object back again and throw it again. And every time the object missed the bin, it would hit the bin and make a metallic hitting sound, which over time got rather annoying; Harry knew this but didn't have anything else better to do so carried on throwing and therefore causing that rather annoying metallic clash.

_Hermione heard the noise but didn't listen to it; she was too tied up in her book to be annoyed by it. But Ron on the other hand..._

_Ron was hungry, annoyed, fed-up, bored, missing his family, worried, ill, upset and doing nothing. The noise quickly broke all patience and calm he had built up since his outburst at "dinner". Every clang seemed to bring up reasons as to why he hated where he was, which led to him thinking about how much he hated Mr. Potter and why that stupid boy would be so much off better dead. Ron just glared daggers at Harry, which Hermione saw and knew something very very bad, would happen if Ron got more irate._

'_Harry, could you please stop that?' She smiled politely, she couldn't stand another row between the two; they had had one only last night, Ron had ran out into the night but had returned the next morning before they had left to go to another spot. Harry just smiled and stopped._

_Half an hour had passed and Hermione said her goodnights and left for bed._

_She had just fallen asleep when she heard yelling, crashing and screaming._

_Hermione ran out to see Ron beating Harry._

'_YOU STUPID BASTARD!' Ron yelled, he allowed Harry to get back up, before pounding him back down. Harry had a bleeding – most likely broken – nose, a swollen and cut lip and many bruises on his uncovered skin, there was most likely more under his clothing._

_Hermione stood in pure shook; Ron looked so angry and hellish. She had never seen him that angry. As Harry crashed into a cupboard and slammed the floor, Hermione shook from her daze._

'_RON!' She called his name again and again and again, each time he seemed not to hear; he was wrapped up in his rage. _

_Hermione did the most stupid thing in her life. She touched Ron's arm, in the hope he too would awake from his trance-like state._

_Ron swung around and hit her._

_It was the shock he needed._

_He had always been taught never to hit a woman, yes he could aim a curse at them, but hitting females was wrong and frowned upon. And he had just hit Hermione, his closest friend, who also happened to be female._

_The Hell faded from his blue eyes and he ran to her._

''_Mione... 'Mione...please...I-I'm so so sorry...please.' Ron gently shook her as she lay on the floor. She moaned and opened her eyes. Ron smiled as he looked into her brown eyes._

'_Come on, let's get you sorted...sorry.' He apologized again and carried her like a small child and made her sit on a kitchen worktop. He got her tissues as her nose began to bleed, he assured her it wasn't broken – living with five other brothers, four of which played Quidditch and liked to get themselves into dangerous situations, meant Ron was very skilled at knowing when a nose or any other bone was broken or fractured._

_Hermione allowed Ron to tend to her bleeding nose and to check her over. He gave her two muggle paracetamol tablets which she took gladly; the sudden crash onto the floor had given her a rather large headache. _

_For a few minutes, they sat cuddled together on Hermione's bed, before Hermione remembered the reason why she had woken up, why she had gotten out of bed, why she had received a rather large punch from an angry Ron, why she had had a bleeding nose, why she had this fading headache..._

'_Harry,' she whispered at first. 'HARRY!'_

_She pushed herself away from Ron and ran to the living room, Ron watched confused as she run, before it all came flooding back to him..._

_But reminiscing would have to wait; Hermione screamed._

_Ron ran to see Hermione looking wide-eyed at something behind the worn sofa with her hands over her mouth. When she saw Ron, she just pointed at him._

'_Murderer.'_

'_What?' Ron whispered as he shook his head, indicating he didn't have a clue as to what she meant...then the Galleon plummeted. 'Merlin.'_

_Ron couldn't take it in, he didn't believe her, she was wrong, Harry wasn't dead, just a bit battered..._

_He gently pushed past her and looked at Harry. He didn't look too good._

_His arms and legs had boned which pointed out in wrong directions; both eyes were swollen and jet black; all uncovered skin had angry purple and black bruises; his lip was badly cut and puffy; his nose obviously broken and dried blood covered the bottom of it and his lips._

"_He's just a bit worse for wear, that all, he's not dead." Thought Ron __optimistically. Ron felt for a pulse..._

'_Shit.' Ron closed Harry's eyes; it was the least he could do._

_Ron looked for Hermione and he saw that she had been sick and was now curled up on the floor crying and shaking._

''_Mione,' Ron started to walk over to her but she was having none of it._

'_GET AWAY...get away,' she added with a whisper, broken by what she had just seen._

'_Please...I didn't-,'_

'_DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T MEAN TOO!' She screamed before she utterly and completely broke down. _

_Ron knew he was screwed._

_Ron came and hugged her as she cried; soon she fell asleep in his arms. _

_Hermione had been asleep for an hour when she heard movement. She opened her eyes to see Ron walking with a blanket over towards the sofa. The most of her sadness had passed with the tears and sick but now she was just angry._

_Ron jumped when Hermione yelled his name. _

_'RON!'_

_'Bloody hell...sorry 'Mione.'_

* * *

'You're thinking of _that_ night, aren't you?' Said Ron as he watched her.

'Yeah...'

'I am truly sorry for what I've done, you must know that Hermione,' Ron said sincerely, but still not all of him agreed that he was _truly_ sorry. But Hermione believed – hoped – he was _truly _sorry and nodded.

'You never did tell me how you and Harry got into that fight...well how you ended up beating him...too death,' she whispered the last part; part of her couldn't believe that Harry was actually dead and that Ron had been his killer.

Ron smiled sadly and told her what had happened.

_

* * *

_

Ten minutes after Hermione had left; Harry had begun throwing his piece of metal again. Ron's annoyed level reached exploding point again – it hadn't had time to reach its normal, calm level – yet he didn't say anything; he expected Harry to realise how annoyingly stupid he was being. But he didn't.

'_Bloody hell! Will you stop fucking throwing that fucking piece of bloody metal!' Ron said angrily but not yelling; he didn't want to wake a maybe-sleeping Hermione; hell hath no fury like a woken Hermione._

'_Sorryy,' shot back Harry, sounding irritated at being told to stop._

_Ron grunted and laid his head back down, thinking a sleep would do him good. He closed his eyes._

_A few minutes later..._

_**Clang**__...__**clang**__...__**clang**__...__**clang.**_

'_Bloody hell! I told you to stop it! Did you not hear me, you dickhead?' Ron was annoyed._

_He untangled himself and sat on the edge of his chair, his body language defensive and aggressive. _

'_Yes I did, idiot.' Harry was also furious but had been hiding it well; he still wasn't over his and Ron's fight last night._

_Ron stood up, pulling out his chest and standing up to his full height; Harry did the same but threw the metal once more at the bin._

_**Clang.**_

'_I'll break you.'_

'_I'll make you run back to your mummy crying.'_

'_I'll do the same...wait...your mummy's dead.' Ron smirked, maybe that was a little below the belt but it got him the reaction he wanted. Harry lunged for him._

_**Smash.**_

'_Not so tough now are we, Potter.'_

'_I'll fucking kill you Weasley.'_

_**Crash.**_

'_No, I'll kill you Potter.' And neither of them realised how true those words were._

'_You can fucking try.'_

_**Bang.**_

'_Ok, Ok, Ron, please, please, just stop, it's enough now, please.' But Ron wasn't listening._

_**Thud.**_

_**Thud.**_

''_Mione... 'Mione...please...I-I'm so so sorry...please.'_

* * *

'I did tell him to stop it.' Smiled Hermione sadly. 'What was his throwing anyway?' Asked Hermione curiously.

Ron chuckled.

'A ring that I gave him when we first met. It was a best friend ring.' Ron smiled at the irony. 'I have the partner ring, when you're in trouble the other ring burns and glows red, alerting your friend that you need their help.' Ron smirked.

Hermione allowed herself a small smile.

'Did it burn? Or glow?'

'No, I checked afterwards, and considering what trouble Harry was in you'd think it'd still have been hot. It wasn't even warm. It didn't even have a slight hint of red.'

'Why?' Asked Hermione curiously; the ring would have still burned even if it was Ron that was causing Harry to need the help.

'When you stop being friends, the charm breaks, stops working. I don't know how it knows but it does. The charm won't work until it's given to someone who you care about, someone who you'd give your life for.' Hermione nodded understanding.

'Did you take it from him?'

'I didn't _actually _take it from him; it was lying next to the bin from when he had last thrown it. And of course I did! They're not cheap or common, you know! They get passed from grandfather or father to grandson or son; it's like a tradition in our family. I got mine from my uncle, who has no children and doesn't plan to have any, and is now "removed" from our family,' Hermione looked inquisitively at him; Ron smiled at her. 'It's a long story.' Hermione rolled her eyes; he wasn't going to tell her.

'You're going to keep it then.'

'Well, what would be the point in that? I've got a ring that could potentially save my life and I'm not going to give it to anyone.' Ron grabbed two rings from a small shelf behind him.

He placed one on his left index finger and grabbed the same finger of Hermione's and placed it on hers.

'If you'll have it?' Ron smiled shyly at her, she nodded; she didn't care if the only reason she had was because the past owner was dead. 'I was going to give it to you at the wedding, but I never got a chance. And Harry wouldn't let out of his sight.'

Hermione blushed; Ron really did care about her and it seemed not just in a friend kind of way.

She studied the ring. It was beautiful. It was thin and silver but had the most intricate and stunning design on it, it must have been handmade. And from what Ron had said, it was very old, yet the design was still clear and the silver shone like the stars on a jet black night. The design, itself, was thin lines weaved together – Hermione guessed they were meant to represent the owners of the rings; two people whose lives were entwined with each other – but when she looked closer and twisted the ring around on her finger, she saw that the lines were actually two snakes, whose eyes were the brightest green jewels that she had ever laid eyes on.

* * *

'Hmmm, something smells good Mrs. Weasley.'

'Please call me Molly, dear.' She smiled and her smile grew when she noticed the ring on Hermione's finger; she knew what it was but wondered how Ron, who she saw had the partner ring, had come to get these two special rings; they had belonged to a "brother" of hers who was a traitor, liar and a million other things that were not good for anyone's ears.

The family had begun to eat when Lupin burst in with Tonks and another man Ron couldn't name behind him.

'What is it!' Molly had shot up out of her chair.

'We've found Harry's body!'


	3. A Normal Situation?

I'm sorry! It's been ages since I've updated this! I hope you enjoy! Thanks for all of the favourites, alerts and reviews! :D

* * *

'Hey'

'Merlin!'

'It's alright, I'm fine.'

'You don't look it!'

'Sticks and stone may break my bones but...something, something, something.' Chuckled a deep, gruff voice.

'I'm so sorry...I should be with you.' Replied a female voice, she was close to tears.

'No, you did nothing.'

'I did, I-.'

'No, "I did this" or "I should", what happened happened and we can't change that.'

'I just wish we could go back.'

'Sadly, someone broke all of the time turners.' Smirked the male, the female gave a small, light laugh.

'Was it worth it? Stupid question.' The female looked around the room she was sitting in; it was dark, damp, cramped, cold and creepy. She didn't know how he hadn't gone mad or even survived in a place like this.

'No, it's not. 'Cause it's a no...And a yes. I've met people, people who have changed the way I look at things. I've learnt things, that before I could never have dreamed of. But I know that life would be better if I hadn't, but hey, always look on the bright side of life.' Smiled the male in a cheerful mood as he began to whistle "Always look on the bright side of life"; music was one of the things that kept him sane in this place.

The female smiled back at her friend's ironic happiness and started to sing along in her head.

A knock was heard on the door, the smiles immediately faded; their time together was short but never sweet.

'Goodbye, I wished it wasn't like this.' The tears began to fall down her cheeks; the male wished he could wipe them away.

'There's nothin' good about goodbye, I could swear I saw you cry,' sang the male with a smile. 'It's not goodbye 'Mione, it's not the end.'

* * *

A small, nervous looking man marched down the MoM corridors as fast as his little legs could carry him. His eyes were small and beady, his nose was more of a snout than a nose, his lips were thin and dry and his skin looked like a ripe tomato on a summer noon. He galloped past the security booths, which had been abandoned minutes before, and fumbled his way through the eye, wand and finger-print scanners. He was carrying a bundle of papers that he dared not even crease; he held them tightly to his chest as he zoomed into the auror department, a place he dared not normally go; his kind of man wasn't welcome there.

But this situation wasn't normal.

'WHAT DO YOU MEAN?'

'Sorry sir, I-I-I.'

'OH SHUT IT WINKLER! HAS EVEYONE BEEN ALERTED?'

'Erm, yes, yes, sir, I-I-I think...?'

'IT'S NO GOOD THINKING; I WANT EVERY AUROR OUT NOW!'

'B-But si-.'

'I DON'T CARE IF IT'S A BLOODY SUNDAY MORNING. GET ME HANSON!'

'But sir, he's get-.'

'I DON'T CARE IF HANSON'S DYING. GET HIM!'

'He's in America, I-.'

'I DON'T CARE IF HE'S IN A DRAGON'S ARSE, I WANT HIM HERE!'

'Y-yes sir.'

'WINKLER?'

'Yes sir.'

'WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?'

'Gone sir.'

* * *

'You're listening to me, Agatha Marple on Muggle-Wizard Radio, and next up is Gives You Hell by the All-American Rejects, what a nice song to get you into the Sunday morning mood...sorry, I've an alert broadcast to read out.' A shuffling of papers could be heard and a shocked gasp as Agatha quickly scanned the notes in front of her. 'Please listeners listen closely. There has, in the last half an hour, been a mass break out of Azkaban, all prisoners have escaped and Azkaban is destroyed. It is believed that Harry Potter murderer, Ronald Weasley, is leading the break-out, if you do see any known death eaters or Mr. Weasley himself; do _not _approach, but alert aurors immediately. Until Mr. Weasley and other main death eaters have been caught, a curfew of nine o'clock has been put into place and there will be auror patrols out on our streets as soon as possible. Do _not_ panic, just go home, lock all doors and set up safety charms around your house and any muggle houses near. Together we can stop death eaters.' The alert had been read out in a pace that was slow enough to understand and take in but quicker than normal. It wasn't a normal situation. The last sentence was much calmer; if Agatha had half a penny every time she had to say that sentence, she would be a billionaire.


	4. Tea?

Oh, just to tell you, because I didn't tell you last time, that Ron had been in Azkaban for three years and is now 20 :)

* * *

Hermione heard a sharp knock on her door; her heart skipped a beat...before she remembered that Ron was the type of person to just let themselves in, no matter the circumstance or time. She turned off the radio and walked over to the door.

'Who is it?' She called out in a bored tone.

'Don't worry Ma'am, just Captain Auror Hanson and Auror Jones.' Called back a reassuring, gruff voice.

Hermione opened her door and gave the best, pretend smile she could; Hanson had been one of the main aurors in Ron's trial and sentence. He wasn't one of her most favourite people.

Hanson was over 6ft tall, broad shouldered, scarred and scary. He was young but his face betrayed him; it was tanned but he had large bags and worn skin. Jones, on the other hand, was skinny, around 5ft and had a constant look of happiness and joy; he hadn't been an Auror as long as Hanson and was usually only there to calm anyone who was scared, shocked or worried. His voice was silky smooth, warm and made almost anyone want to pour their heart out because of it.

They showed identity badges.

'Hello, please, come on in.' They wiped their large boots and sat down in her lounge.

'Tea? Coffee?' Asked Hermione in her nicest and most welcoming tone, thankfully they declined both offers.

'I'll get straight to the point Miss,' said Hanson seriously; Jones just smiled. 'We know you were _once _friends with Weasley. We suspect that he might try and come to you for help, supplies or shelter, now we know you are a loyal witch and would not give any of these voluntary. But we know – and I'm sure you do – that Weasley and any others would use force to get any such things. We would either like to have some aurors placed here, for your safety, or for you to come to one of our safe houses, out of the way from Weasley.' Hanson tried a smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

Hermione knew that they wanted aurors at her house so that they could capture Ron, if he tried to get help from her, and make sure that she wasn't helping him. And if she left for a safe house, they would use her house as a base, in case Ron tried to make contact with her.

'Oh, there's no need to worry about me,' she smiled. 'I'm a very capable witch. My security charms are the best and can quite easily deal with _any_ unwanted people. And if Weasley was to try and contact me, I would make sure that you, aurors, were the first to know.' Her tone was not rude but made it known that she wasn't going to do what they wanted, not now, not ever. Her loyalty was with Ron, no matter what side he had chosen. Hanson knew this tone and knew not to try anymore; he wasn't pushy. 'But thank you for thinking of my safety.'

'That's alright Ma'am, we'll be going now, but if you _do_ get worried, we can be here in the blink of an eye.' The goodbyes were short and sweet, just like their visit.

'Right Jones, I want aurors keeping a _very_ close eye on both her and this place. I know she'd help him if he asked.' Jones nodded his understanding and agreement and both aurors apparated away.

* * *

It was six months since the breakout; no leads had been made on finding any death eaters and the ones that had been caught were found dead. Small attacks on muggle towns and villages were constant and the aurors never seemed to know where they would be or when; there was no visible pattern.

'Hanson, I know you think that this Granger woman may help Weasley but at the moment we need all aurors out looking for him or protecting muggle places. We can't afford to be keeping watch on her house. I'm sorry Hanson, but those aurors are being placed on patrols.' Said a gruff voice, which was unusually apologetic; Hanson was his favourite auror and his best. This man was the Head of the Auror department, his name was Morse and no one, except the Minster himself, knew his first name.

'I understand, sir. Thank you sir, I'll leave now if you do not mind.' Morse nodded and Hanson left, bitterly disappointed but he knew that this day had been coming for a month now.

The intercom between rooms buzzed.

'Yes, Hannah, what is it?' Asked Morse monotonously.

'It's a Mr. Winkler for you, sir. He wishes to see you, says it's urgent.' Morse grunted but said he would see the man.

'What?'

'Erm, well, sir,'

'Get on with it man.' Morse muttered as he flicked through some reports he had been given on the escaped death eaters. His last meeting with Winkler had not be an pleasant one, therefore his feelings to the man were also negative; the last time they had met was when Azkaban had been broken out of.

'Wehavedeatheater,' rushed out Winkler and Morse only just caught it but his reaction was fast.

'RIGHT, COME ON THEN.' Morse threw open his door – Hannah didn't even flinch; she was used to it now. 'HANNAH, I WANT HANSON, ABEL AND MCDONALD TO MEET ME AT THE DETAINING CENTRE.' Morse was in the habit of shouting when he was very pleased or very angry. Hannah nodded and started to make the correct calls.

'FOLLOW THEN, MAN.' Winkler whimpered and followed like a very obedient puppy.

Morse was the type of man to just march, no matter what seemed to be coming his way or where he was going; he could be on a nice, relaxing, summer Sunday morning stroll and he would march around; he could be walking into a huge riot and people would just instinctively move, on fear of being crushed.

Winkler stayed very close to the back of Morse; people quickly moved out of his way and if you were behind him, they also seemed to move for you.

* * *

'It's not very nice to ignore people; did your bitch of a mother ever teach you manners?' Sneered Abel, he gave the man a well aimed, hard kick.

The man still did not reply.

'Fuck you.' Abel flicked his wrist and a Crucio curse flew out. The man's body arched high and burned with pain. But still he did not say a word.

'Sir, I've been at it for three hours now and still fucking nothing.' Growled Abel; he was the last and most nasty of the chosen aurors to go and yet the man had not said a word, shed a tear or made any voluntary movement; he's just sat there. The death eater had been under horrendous torture for the last 15 hours. Most would have given out hours ago but yet he still held out.

He still had hope.

* * *

'Oh Merlin!' Hermione flew into the arms of tall, dark haired man. 'I never thought I see you alive again! I really thought you were going to be kissed.' The man chuckled.

'Not me, 'Mione. Not my style.' He smiled but this time it didn't reach his eyes; they stayed gloomy and depressed.

'What is it?' They had sat down at a small muggle cafe, it was quiet enough to talk about things they needed to but busy enough to not be heard. Hermione had spent the last six months waiting for some kind of contact and she had got her wish only yesterday.

* * *

'_Hello Merlin, I hope you slept well.' She gave Merlin, her new black cat, his favourite rub behind his left ear, he purred in delight._

_Hermione made her way from her bedroom to her kitchen, yawning as she went. She was about to push the kitchen door open when she heard a noise from inside. She froze and pulled out her wand from her dressing gown, gripping it tightly. _

_But Merlin just wandered in before Hermione could stop him; weren't animals meant to sense danger?_

_Slowly she pushed open the door and flicked on the light._

_A cat._

_That was it._

_No aurors or men in all-black or death eaters. _

_Just a cat._

_A ginger cat._

_A ginger cat with bright blue eyes_

_Hermione sighed and picked up the letter beside it. She stroked the cat and looked for a collar, but none. She got it a saucer of water but it didn't drink._

'_It's there if you want it.'_

_She opened the letter and her eyes widen in shock at its contents._

_Dear 'Mione,_

_It's me. But I guess you already know that from the writing!  
Sorry I couldn't contact you earlier but you and your place were being watched and I didn't want to risk you or me being found._

_I hope you've been well since we last spoke, happier I hope.  
Sorry I didn't tell you of the break out, couldn't risk it.  
It went well; it was nice to see that small piece of Hell gone. I see that they haven't started to rebuild it or start work on another, but you can be sure, that if they even starting make plans for one, my boys and I will be there to burn them! No one deserves even a minute in a place like that._

_I'm sure you've seen what I've done; trust me. I didn't want to hurt those muggles and others but I have to. I've been dragged quite deep into this whole death eater thingy and you can't just hand in your notice and leave. But they're actually quite nice and friendly, but I wouldn't want to introduce them to you in a hurry._

_Tea? You know where. Tell the cat._

_Love,_

_Ron x_

_The handwriting was more messy than usual but Hermione knew that Ron didn't exactly have time to take care over his handwriting._

_She smiled and spoke to the ginger cat._

'_Tell Ron, I'd love too. Ten o'clock.' The cat meowed its understanding and ran off._

_Hermione went to open the front door for it but when she got to the door, there was no ginger cat in sight and the door hadn't been touched or pawed. Strange._

* * *

'It's nothing.' Ron shook his head. 'How have you been then? Is Merlin well?' Merlin had turned up on her doorstep the day of the break-out, with nothing but a collar and name tag of _Merlin_. Hermione had just taken the cat in without thought; she had loved having Crookshanks around. She mentally smiled; the cat must have come from Ron; he knew she adored cats.

'It obviously is _something_!' Hermione's voice was commanding, not one to be messed with.

'Ok, ok, ok, it's Draco.' Hermione knew this must be serious; Draco had become one of Ron's closest allies, even a friend. Draco had been put into Azkaban shortly after Ron and there had been rumours that they had shared a cell for a month and were opposite each other for a year. 'He's been captured by the Ministry – he got caught saving me,' smiled Ron, mentally thanking his friend. 'And some death eaters and I,' he said, remembering to talk _properly _when he was with Hermione; it saved being corrected. 'Are going to break him out tomorrow.'


	5. The Cat's Back

Wow. This story was only going to be one chapter; seems one actually means five!  
And yes, once again in one of my stories Ron and Draco are friends and Ron is going to break him out of Azkaban. ^^ You know it's meant to be! This is the end, my dear readers, but thank you for all of your alerts, reviews and favourites! :D

* * *

Hermione sat nervously as she listened to Agatha Marple on Muggle-Wizard Radio. The woman's voice was soothing and calm, totally unlike Hermione's insides.

She loved Ron. She didn't care what he had done or why or what he would do. She was in love and in her eyes that young man couldn't put a spell wrong.

Hermione didn't know if it would be broadcast that there had been another escape from auror clutches but if Ron and his fellow death eaters were caught, it would be yelled around like enchanted fire. If they managed to catch Ron and, most likely, the most powerful and important death eaters ever, they would shout about it for eternality.

She began to nervously twist the ring that was on her finger; it was the ring that Ron had given her years ago. It was the ring that had started all of this. It was the ring that was the reason Harry Potter was killed.

* * *

It had been two months and there was still no word from either party; the MoM had said nothing and even though Hermione worked there, there was no rumours going around but when Draco had been captured, nothing was said at work; no one had known. And Ron still hadn't made contact, but maybe it was just so he could keep a low profile for a bit. Maybe she was being watched again.

All she knew was that this waiting hurt. She was a robot; get up, worry, eat, wait for owls, worry, shower, worry, work, worry, eat, worry, sleep, worry, wake up at 3am worrying, get up, worry, eat, wait for owls, worry, shower, worry, work, worry, eat, worry, sleep, worry, wake up at 3am worrying, get up... It was just constant.

Hermione was now sitting in her lounge, worrying, when she heard a meow.

That ginger cat was back.

Hermione's eyes grew wide with hope; that cat had had news from Ron last time!

But this time the cat didn't look so well.

It was missing a lot of fur, which was covered in dirt and wasn't the bright ginger it had been before, and its bones showed through its skin. It had a very bad limp and the end of its tail was missing.

Hermione rushed towards it and gently picked it up; it was too weak to protest.

It didn't have a letter.

'Oh, Merlin, you poor thing. What happened to you?' Hermione laid the cat gently on her table.

There are not many things in life which surprise Hermione Granger, but what happened next gave her the best shocks of her life.

'R-Ron!'

The cat had transformed into Ron. His clothes were thin rags; his skin covered with blood and cuts; he was almost brown with dirt and dust; his hair was faded and had been pulled out in places; his ribs were visible through his skin; and he only had two fingers on each hand.

'W-what?' Hermione was close to tears; she couldn't believe the state that Ron was in.

'Water.' Gasped out Ron, Hermione had never moved so fast in her life. She got mounds of food and litres of water all in less than 10 seconds.

She watched as Ron shoved the food he had been given into his mouth and he poured the water not only into his mouth but onto his face and body.

'Oh Ron.' She sighed as she looked into his eyes; they were not the bright blue eyes that had bewitched her as a teenager. They were dark and haunted.

'I can't stay long.' Hermione moved closer so that she could hear him; his voice was raspy and gruff. 'Draco was killed by 'em, everyone dead. Me left. I have to go too.' Ron pulled himself off of the table and kissed her with all the strength he had. He looked into her sad brown eyes. 'I love you, I love you more than you'll ever know.'

Hermione tried to speak but she couldn't, she needed to tell him she loved him but the words just wouldn't come out.

He smiled at her. 'I know 'Mione.' He kissed her forehead and walked towards her flat door.

It took him longer than usual due to his limp and poor strength and he used the walls to pull himself along. But Hermione just couldn't move she was frozen to the spot. She wanted to make it all better. She wanted to make him stay. She wanted him.

And by the time she could finally move; Ron was gone.

* * *

'_You join me Agatha Marple on Muggle-Wizard Radio. And now here's the news with Cleo Gray.'_

'_Hi, I'm Cleo Gray and the top news story today is the death of Hermione Granger. She was found hanged in her London flat early this morning, after she didn't turn up to work for two days. It is believe that her suicide is linked to the earlier suicide of Harry Potter murderer, Ronald Weasley. Ron was found with his throat slit only two days ago. Hermione left a small note, which has given out horrid details of torture that Ronald Weasley and fellow prisoners suffered at the hands of well-known and high-ranking aurors. All aurors involved and mentioned in the note have been suspended pending an inquiry. Her funeral is being held tomorrow and it is believed that she will be buried with Ronald Weasley. And in other news..."_


End file.
